This article lists commonly-used metonyms. Since metonymyThe process by which metonyms are formed is a productive process, new metonyms will be coined and existing ones will fall into disuse.
Objects
Word or phrase Literal meaning Metonymic meaning bar The bar in a courtroom that separates judges and lawyers from laypeople All the lawyers licensed to practise law in a certain court or jurisdiction bed Furniture used for sleeping or reclining Sexual relations between individuals bench The location in a courtroom where a judge sits when presiding over a court All the judges of a court or jurisdiction; members of a judiciary; the presiding officer (judge) in a court Footwear worn by soldiers Combat troops deployed in a geographic area (as opposed to those awaiting deployment and/or in aircraft or ships offshore) box office A place where tickets are sold; including for films Refers to measuring the popularity and financial success of a film. "The film is a hit at the box office." brass A metal alloy used for or in the manufacture of e.g. buttons, insignia and musical instruments Military and police officers, often also referring to managers/bosses outside the uniformed bullpen The area of a baseball field used by relief pitchers to warm up for a game A baseball team's roster of relief pitchers cap White silk hats given to players each time they played for the England national football team A player's appearance in a game at the international level china A country Chinese porcelain or other types of ceramic city hall A city's chief administrative building Local government or, more pejoratively, government in general corner office An office on a building corner with more windows Corporate leadership,Frankel, Dr Lois P. Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers. Business Plus, 2004 or the Governor of Massachusetts (see below) crown A type of monarchical headwear Monarchy, especially the British monarchy (as "The Crown") dish An item on which food is served or eaten A course of a meal, or the foundation of a course (usually the main course) gun A firearm An assassin, mercenary or soldier (as in "hired gun")lead A heavy metal used to manufacture ammunition Bullets mortal Subject to death Human pen A writing instrument A written words, communication or journalism pink slip A discharge notice; historically, a pink colored slip of paper in an employee's pay envelope A layoff or termination of employment press A machine used to print newspapers Journalists, reporters, or others who write or announce the news record label The circular label in the center of a vinyl record displaying the manufacturer's name A music company involved in producing, marketing, and distributing music recordings and music videos red tape Tape that is coloured red An over-bureaucratic process Digging in the soil using a variety of tools or machines Commencement of a construction project – usually one that is major or infrastructural slate A writing tablet made of slate A written record of a debt, particularly in a small shop or public house suits Business attire (plural) Business executives and lawyers sweat Perspiration Hard (physical) work title A name given to a book, video game, film, piece of software, or other piece of creative work. A piece of published work itself. tongue Oral muscle A language or dialect
Places Africa Word or phrase Literal meaning Metonymic meaning Arat Kilo Neighborhood in Addis Ababa The Federal Government of Ethiopia Ikulu The official residence of the president of Tanzania The State House and its administration
Asia Word or phrase Literal meaning Metonymic meaning BangaloreA city in Southern IndiaThe Indian technology industry BeijingThe capital of ChinaThe Chinese government, particularly the leadership Fukushima A city in Japan The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster Hiroshima and Nagasaki Two cities in southwestern Japan The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Allied forces in August 1945 Malacañang Official residence of the president of the Philippines The Philippine Government, particularly the President, the Cabinet and their advisers, and the officials under the Office of the President of the PhilippinesRaisina HillA hill in Lutyens' Delhi, New DelhiThe Government of IndiaSenayanA subdistrict of South JakartaThe People's Consultative Assembly, its members, and the leadership of Indonesia's various political partiesTehranThe capital city of IranThe Government of Iran Zhongnanhai A former imperial garden adjacent to an eponymous lake in central Beijing, now used as residences The leadership of the Chinese government Zion A mountain located in the Levant The city of Jerusalem or the people associated with it
Europe Word or phrase Literal meaning Metonymic meaning The official residence of the prime minister of the United KingdomTechnically, 10 Downing Street is the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, not the prime minister. However, the two offices have been held by the same person since the early 20th century. The prime minister and their staff, often meaning more broadly the UK GovernmentBrusselsThe capital of BelgiumThe government of the European Union Buckingham Palace or the Palace A large building in London that is the official residence of the reigning British sovereign The British royal family and its staff The City The City of London, the part of Central London, England, that has the longest continuous recorded history The financial (and related) institutions in the United Kingdom Davos A town in Switzerland The World Economic Forum Fleet Street A street in the City of London The British national pressLauren Laverne, "When the high street meets the internet", The Observer, London, 6 October 2013. Retrieved on 3 January 2014. The Hague A city in the Netherlands The International Criminal Court or International Court of Justice, both of which have their seat in the city HillsboroughHillsborough an area of Sheffield, United Kingdom and location of Hillsborough Stadium.The Hillsborough disaster in 1989 where 97 Liverpool F.C. fans died in a human crush. Also used as a word for police corruption and cover-up. Holyrood An area in Edinburgh The Scottish Parliament, which is located in that area, or more generally the Scottish Government Horse Guards A cavalry barracks at Whitehall, London Commander-in-chief of the British army and his staff before 1857 Hrad ("The Castle") The Prague Castle and official residence and office of the president of the Czech Republic The president of the Czech Republic and his or her staff, and also the Czech Republic as a whole Kastilja or Castile Auberge de Castille, an 18th-century auberge in the Maltese capital Valletta The Office of the Prime Minister of Malta The Kremlin A historic type of Russian fortress or citadel The Moscow Kremlin and/or the Russian presidential administration; historically, any Russian or Soviet government (e.g. Kremlinology)M25 A motorway circling the London conurbation London, or the Greater London urban area, though the two boundaries do not precisely coincideMoncloa Palace of Moncloa, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Spain The Spanish central governmentNorth of Watford Watford Gap, a low point in a hill range used as a divide between North and South England The North of England Quai d'Orsay A wharf and adjoining street in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, which is located at 37 Quai d'Orsay Savile Row A short street in central London The high-quality bespoke men's suits made by tailors' shops on the street Scotland Yard ("The Yard") The original public entrance (via "Great Scotland Yard") to the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police Service London or British police, especially detectives Stormont An estate in County Down, east of Belfast The Northern Ireland Assembly Sublime Porte A gate giving access to a block of government buildings in Istanbul, Turkey The Imperial Government of the Ottoman Empire (sometimes, more specifically, its foreign policies and relations) Tamminiemi A villa in Helsinki and a former official residence of the president of Finland Historically the president of Finland, mostly associated with Urho Kekkonen Threadneedle Street A street in the City of London The Bank of England and/or its directors The Vatican A small sovereign state located in Rome, Italy The Holy See, and the Roman Catholic Church in generalWest EndA district of LondonThe theatre scene of London; A show which was originally produced in the West End of London. Christopher Innes, "West End" in The Cambridge Guide to Theatre (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1195, Westminster A part of Central London, England The Parliament of the United Kingdom Whitehall A street in the City of Westminster borough of London The Civil Service of the United Kingdom, or more generally the Government of the United Kingdom; the term is often used in a similar context to "Westminster" (above) Wilhelmstraße A street in Berlin, Germany The Federal Foreign Office of Germany
North America